A Simple Plan
by MarcellusMiro66
Summary: Lola and Carlino team up to rob a bank (FOR FUN!) while they unexpectedly fall in love. Of course, this doesn't sit well with a wary Winston and a livid Lindsey Sweetwater. (The rating may go up...)
1. Chapter 1

Lola watched as her family mingled with the Santiagos and Casagrandes. When it was revealed that the family was invited to a potluck/baby shower, they was expectedly excited and accepted their invitation. All of them except...well, who else? Lola saw nothing about accepting an invitation for a friend's get-together, but the problem was this: the person who sent the invitation was _not_ a friend. Yes, she knew her as she did the same; but no, knowing her through small talk and occasional visits to the hospital didn't mean they were friends. In the end, Mrs. Santiago was just an acquaintance to the family as a whole and not just her, making the invitation (to her, anyway) feel empty and hollow. As a result, she was the only one who preferred to be the only wallflower.

Of course, she was only half right.

"I take it social mingling isn't your thing, **_chica_**?"

Her head shooting up in surprise, Lola turned to her left and saw that she wasn't the only wallflower. A boy around her age who was presumably one of Bobby's siblings, he had black hair styled in a faux hawk, a missing tooth, a red hoodie, navy blue jeans, and white high-tops. Amazingly enough, he wasn't the only thing she saw. She also saw something in him. Something... _else_. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something within this boy that caught her off guard and her attention right off the bat.

"Uh...no, it's not. I honestly don't know anyone who isn't my family here."

"Hmm. You know my **_primo_** , Bobby, do you not?"

"That's different. He frequents my older sister on more than one occasion. We never became properly acquainted."

"I see." He sighed lovingly at the mention of said older sister, "Ah, Lori is quite the **_chiquita bonita_** , no? Why she chose Bobby over me, I'll never know."

Lola shot the boy a befuddled grimace, something he didn't notice as he continued daydreaming about Lori. Rolling her eyes, she decided to keep the conversation going.

"First of all, that's too creepy...even for Lucy's tastes. Secondly, I pretty sure Lori prefers only men in her age range."

"I'm perfectly aware of that fact, **_chica_**. I just can't help myself; her looks and physique tend to be the center of attention when she steps into a room."

"Uh-huh. Listen, I know I just met you and first impressions are unfair, but...you really seem like a creep, **_chico_**."

At that one word, a ball dropped. The boy stopped his incoherent rambling and turned around to face Lola with a look of bewilderment plastered all over his face; the girl herself wore a look of terror instead, as if she did something wrong and unintentionally offended him. Little did she know...he wasn't.

"W...what?"

A look of amusement suddenly replaced his look of perplexity, "Are you flirting with me, **_chica_**?"

A look of bemusement suddenly replaced her look of trepidation, "What?! No, of course not! I was just – "

That feeling Lola abandoned the moment she first laid eyes on the boy came rushing back to her at full force. As stated earlier, there was something about him that was hard to explain. Then again, he was probably feeling it, too; who's to blame?

"Actually, it depends. Are _you_ flirting with _me_ , **_chico_**?"

 _... Wait, where did that come from?_

"Well...if I was, was it working?"

 _... Yes. Oh, yes._

 _"Very."_

An awkward silence laced with tension between the two of them followed soon after. It was an awkward silence which Lola decided to break with a formal introduction.

"Lola."

 _"¿Perdón?"_

"My friends call me Lola."

A formal introduction which Carlino returned, complete with the hand shake.

"My friends call me Carl."

* * *

A few hours later, and it was evening; the Loud Family was fixing to head home. Of course, they would visit for the next few days for the upcoming baby shower. Lincoln and Lori were the last to leave the apartment complex, having said their goodbyes to Ronnie Anne and Bobby, respectively. Or, so they thought.

"Dad!" Lana called from the backseat, "I can't find Lola anywhere!"

At that, as if it occurred by chance, Vanzilla broke down – as in, the engine burned over and the tires fell out. The couple exchanging uncertain glances ( _"You don't suppose the Santiagos will let us stay for the time being?"_ ), Lynn Sr. and Rita unbuckled their seatbelts and headed out of the van. Simultaneously, Carlos and Frida ran out of the building with Carlota in tow.

"Mr. and Mrs. Casagrande, it seems that we lost our daughter Lola," Rita chuckled in embarrassment.

"Hmm. What a coincidence," Frida rubbed her chin, "It seems that we lost our son Carlino as well."

Upon hearing those words, a simple solution was conjured up in Lincoln's empty mind as a simple smirk crossed his face. Departing from the van as he began to laugh, this action of his caught the attention of the adults as he set foot into the building, understandably confusing them. Heading upstairs and reaching the floor of the Casagrandes, he scouted both of the rooms until he reached Carlino's. Pressing his ear against the door, his eyebrows shot up at the sound of giggles and what appeared to be Latin Pop/Cha-cha-chá music. That smug smirk grew ever so slightly as his hands snaked up to the doorknob, which he turned ever so slowly and pushed it open to reveal...

 ** _"A-HA!"_**

An impromptu dance session engaged by Lola and Carlino, who soon jumped apart the moment Lincoln burst through the door.

"Ah, Lincoln..." Lola spoke through gritted teeth, "What are you doing?"

"I was just looking out for a sister of mine. Also, it's nighttime already."

"It is?" Carlino cocked his head in confusion before he and Lola glanced outside to find the moonlight shining in. " _ **Ay, caramba.**_ Well. So..."

"So..."

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Actually..." Lola and Carlino turned to find a still smirking Lincoln, "Vanzilla might've broken down, so Mom and Dad are going to take it to get it looked at. In the meantime..."

Lola immediately recognized the tone of her brother's voice and scowled at Lincoln as she approached him. "Uh, no, no, no. I know what that tone means."

"Uh, I don't."

Her eyebrows lowered in contempt at Carlino's comment as she listened to what Lincoln had to say.

"Don't worry, Lola. I won't say anything. Although, I expect you two to be on your best behavior while we're staying here." Lincoln turned tail to leave, but not before adding cheekily, "Oh! Before I forget...don't get any ideas, okay?"

Lola and Carlino both blushed, the latter watching the former hurling her tiara at a retreating Lincoln. Performing a face palm and shaking her head as she groaned in frustration, she turned to face her dance partner.

"Sorry, Carl. My brother can be...a dick sometimes."

"It's okay. My sister's the same. So...you're staying here for the time being?"

"I guess so. Lincoln said that our van broke down somehow, so our parents are going to have it checked out."

"Now what, then?"

"Well, you just said it: we might staying here for the time being. I just don't know for how long."

Carlino rubbed his chin and an idea came to mind, "Ooh! There's something we should do!" Walking over to whisper his idea into her ear, Lola gasped and turned to face him.

"That's actually not a bad idea."

"What, you thought it was going to be?"

"No, of course not! I just thought the idea was going to be something embarrassing like – "

Lola's returning blush was intensified by eleven. _Oh, no, Lola. Don't you **dare** finish that thought._

"Like what?"

"Ah, I'll tell you later. Shall we get ready for bed?"

"Right. **_Sí_**." A silence occurred, followed by this question: "Are we sleeping together?"

 ** _SMACK!_**

Carlino stumbled backward after being whacked in the head. Lola shot him a glare, which turned into a smirk that eerily resembled her older brother's.

"We'll see. I just hope I get Linky's approval."

Carlino was even more stunned into silence when Lola sent a wink his way before leaving to use the bathroom. He ran his hand through his hair, muttering to himself:

 _"Santa mierda. ¿Qué cojones he metido?"_

He then followed her.

* * *

 _ **A/N** : I won't tell you what the last translation means, but... __Anyway, sorry if this seems rushed. I will add more scenes if their first meetings feels forced and strangled by the red string. Seriously though, there needs to be more "Carlola" stories out there. " **Once Smitten, Twice Shy** " by **Weavillain** is a perfect example._

 _The plot of this story is basically a heist film in the vein of **Dog Day Afternoon (1975)** and **Out of Sight (1998)** and a stylized action flick reminiscent of **Kill Bill (2003/2004)** and **John Wick (2014-present)**. Lola and Carlino team up to rob a bank just for fun, falling in love along the way. Sounds simple and cliché enough, right? But wait, there's more! Remember Lola's crush Winston and Lola's rival Lindsey Sweetwater? Yeah, you should remember them._

 _Well, until next time..._


	2. Chapter 2

Given her penchant for beauty sleep, one would expect Lola to be one of the first – if not _the first_ – to wake up and prepare for the day ahead. However, though it may surprise you, she wasn't this time around. In fact, she was one of the last – if not _the last_ – to wake up and prepare for the day ahead. Stretching her arms as she yawned, the beauty pageant contestant groaned wearily as she hauled herself to her feet. Shuffling towards the bathroom and proceeding to brush her teeth, she failed to notice Carlino rise up after her wake-up time and officially become the last person for early morning refreshment. That dance session from last night apparently did a number on him, for he failed to notice the shower running when he stepped inside the restroom.

Carlino had finished brushing his teeth when he noticed the rancid smell that he emitted off himself. His nose wrinkled and he winced at the rotten odor, a realization hitting faster than a speeding bullet train: _Carlota's right. I do need to clean up once in a while._ Beginning to strip down to his birthday suit, he turned to his left and found the shower stall already running. _Huh. My lucky day..._ As the door was foggy and misty because of the steam, he failed to realize that he wasn't going to be alone in the cubicle.

Lola hummed an ear worm as she washed up just as Carlino entered inside and began applying shampoo to his hair. When both hands reached for the bar of body soap, the two of them felt their blood simultaneously run cold as the horror of the situation finally hit each other. Glancing up to meet each other's eyes, a lesson on how to draw unwanted attention to one's self was taught in three...two...one.

 ** _"AAHH!"_**

In their attempts to back away from each other, the both of them slipped on the water and landed atop of each other. They freaked out some more and scrambled away whilst covering each other up. Catching their breaths, their eyes focused on anywhere but themselves before the door opened.

 _"Lola! Are you okay?"_

Lola herself hesitated to answer for a minute before she replied: "Yes, Lincoln! I just saw a spider and slipped on the water."

 _"Do you need me to come in and check up on you?"_

"Uh, you already are. And if you're considering entering the shower, you might to reconsider it."

 _"Right, right! Uh, well... Mom also wants me to tell you that breakfast is ready and to wake up Carlino if he hasn't already."_

Lola exchanged looks with Carlino himself before replying back: "Right. Duly noted."

A moment later, the door closed and they both breathed sighs of relief. Another moment later, they sat in their respective spots curled up in a ball and didn't get up. When they did, it was exactly the same time and they reverted back to their semi-normal selves, speaking in low-level whispers.

 _"What are you doing here?"_

 _"Well, excuse me, **chica**! You can't blame a guy with a need to rid himself of a foul stench!"_

 _"I do, actually, especially when said guy doesn't knock first to use the bathroom! Did you even notice me?"_

 _"... No."_

 _"Hmph. That's what I thought... **chico**."_

Carlino chuckled at Lola's contempt for him at the moment as they continued to shower. Yet another moment passed before...

 _" **Chica**."_

 _" **Chico**."_

 _"What are you doing?"_

 _"... I don't know what you're talking about."_

 _"Ignorance isn't bliss, **senorita**_ _. I can feel you staring at me."_

 _"What?! That's not true!"_

 _"To you, maybe. I tend to mind another's business and respect that person by staying out of it...or, in this case, not stopping and staring. You, on the other hand..."_

 _"Okay, okay! And what if I was? How would you react if I was staring at you, even though I clearly wasn't?"_

 _"I think the real question is: How would **you** react if **I** was staring at you...even though **I** clearly wasn't?"_

 _"... Were you?"_

 _"... Was I?"_

Their conversation ended there, and so did their shower session, which was two minutes too long. When the coast was clear, they snuck back to the bedroom and quickly got changed, avoiding each other's glances. Making their way to the dining room, they found the majority of the family eating their breakfast: scrambled eggs with melted cheddar cheese, golden-brown hash browns, and cooked toast with sides of butter or fruit jelly. Carlino's grandparents were in the living room watching the news while partaking in different activities; Hector did crossword puzzles, Rosa did sewing/knitting. As the two of them ate in silence while struggling to listen to the multiple conversations that were exchanged amongst the families, the two of them caught each other's eyes again. Glancing back and forth, Lola gestured and mouthed to Carlino:

 _Meet me back at the bedroom when you're done eating. There's something I want to tell you._

Carlino gestured and mouthed back to Lola:

 _Lucky for you, I'm almost done. Give me a minute or so._

When he was done, Carlino met back in the bedroom to discuss with Lola what she wanted to tell him.

"So, **_chica_**... What was it that you wanted to discuss with me?"

"... I think we should rob a bank."

"... Uh, **_perdon_**?"

"Give this some thought, Carl. Most of the neighborhood you reside in lives in poverty, and some of the banks are run by either thickheaded or tricky people with no morals whatsoever. So why not do the one thing they could never do and right their wrongs?"

"... So what you're saying is we pull off a _Robin Hood_ -style heist just for the heck of it."

"In a sense, yes. Plus, as much as we want to stay for a little longer, my family really needs to get home."

"Okay, that part makes sense."

"Seriously?"

" ** _Si_**."

Lola huffed and Carlino clarified, "But yes, I'm in. When do we start?"

"Now." Lola stood up and gestured Carlino to follow her downstairs to the bodega, then outside where their currently defunct van was waiting. Fishing out the car keys stolen from her dad oblivious to his surroundings, she unlocked the trunk and pulled out a nearby black duffel bag. Unzipping it and displaying the contents to Carlino, he himself gasped in shock and awe, visibly impressed by her ability to gather up the necessary resources.

"Wow. I'm frightened and aroused."

"I try."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the small town of Royal Woods, elementary kids were happily frolicking around on the playground without a care in the world. One of these kids was a six-year-old boy with blonde hair styled in a pompadour, fair skin, a purple jacket, a blue vest, light brown pants with dark brown shoes, and a light pink scarf. Little did the rest of the kids knew, he _certainly_ wasn't playing around. When his parents weren't around (for some inexplicable and illogical reasons), this particular boy had played with his father's Smith & Wesson Model 10HB...which was just one of his _many_.

Winston readied, aimed, and fired the S&W at a row of cans. He had been doing this for some time now, giving him some time to perfect his marksmanship. Of course, it didn't give him enough time to mind his surroundings.

"Winston?"

The boy jumped and stuffed the revolver in his jacket, nearly shooting himself in the process. When turning to face the source of the voice calling out for him, he saw that it was a six-year-old girl with brunette hair that curled up at the bottom, white skin, a magenta dress with frills at the bottom, a rose pink belt to hold her dress up, a pink bow, white pearl earrings, and long evening gloves. She bore an uncanny resemblance to his secret admirer Lola Loud, but she was _not_ Lola Loud.

"Oh, Lindsey Sweetwater. Pleasure to be seeing you."

"The pleasure's all mine, Winston," Lindsey made her way down to the riverbank where Winston was practicing. "Now, pray tell...what were you doing playing with that firearm of presumably yours?"

Winston was reduced to a stuttering mess, struggling to blurt out a comprehensible answer. Lindsey cut him off – "Because if this little activity of yours involves a little gunplay..." – before pulling out a stainless steel, pearl-gripped Smith & Wesson Model 64 (which was just one of her mother's _many_ guns) and flaunting it on full display for a now surprised Winston to see.

"...Count me in."


End file.
